Flowers, Sunshine, and Death
by WolfWarriorz
Summary: When the Warrior Clans are only a faint dream in their warrior ancestor's eyes, two sisters help bring one Clan together, and all the rest will follow. But not all the cats want them to become Clans. Will these be the downfall?
1. Chapter 1: The Naming

"Sun?" a tortoiseshell she-cat whispered into the nearly identical cat's ear. "Are they for serious?" They were sitting high in the branches of a great oak tree. Three others were near it. Five cats stood on a big rock and were jabbering about creating "Clans." Her sister's whiskers twitched. "I think they are! This is ridiculous. Why can't we just hunt by ourselves? No we'll have to hunt for everyone in these 'Clans'!" Sun growled. "I know. I guess it makes a little sense, but I still don't like it. Which Clan should we stick with? We kind of hunt in the pines and in the scrub. And even for birds out past the big sycamore." Sun replied, "I think we should go with Shadow. We hunted with her a few moons back. We hunt in the pines mostly, anyway, and I am not going to let some tom boss me around, Flower!" she flicked her tail at Thunder.

Flower let out a mrrow of laughter. "Believe me, I know...Hey, speaking of toms, do you think Storm will go to ShadowClan? He might not want to be bossed around by Shadow, but he's always hunted in the pines..." A note of anxiety showed in her voice. Sun narrowed her eyes. "You seem awful worried about that tom. What's going on?" Flower looked shyly into her sister's curious yellow eyes for which she was named. "I'm expecting his kits." Sun looked half irritated half...sad? "Why didn't you tell me before?" She said in a hurt voice. Flower answered quickly, "I only just became sure. I didn't know until this morning. I was waiting for the right moment. Oh, look, here he comes!"

The gray and black tom climbed up the tree with ease and sat close beside Flower. "What Clan are you going to?" Flower exchanged a glance with her sister. "We think Shadow. Not totally sure, but it's the best choice I see." Storm's face warmed. "That's what I picked too. I'm not leaving the pines. Not ever. Well, until I die." Flower flinched. "Don't say that. I'm not ready for you to die just yet." Storm looked pleased and nuzzled her fur. Sun gasped with anger. "Did you two hear that?" Flower shook her head. "Nope. What is it now?" Sun snarled. "Those arrogant furballs said if we don't join one of the Clans, they'll drive us out! What if we want to be alone? This is just awful!" Storm hissed down at the five "leaders". "What? I can't believe this! They're forcing cats out of their homes! We have to live in _camps_!" he meowed scathingly, "Will all these cats stand for it?" Flower added gloomily, "I don't think they have a choice. The supporters outnumber the non-supporters. This is not the world I was born into."

The five cats set off for their separate territories, each with a wave of cats following behind. "Come on, let's go." said Sun, and scrambled down the trunk after Shadow's clan. Flower hung back a little with Storm and said, "I have to tell you something, Storm." The dark tom, concern in his deep blue eyes, paused. "I'm expecting kits." she told her friend, and a slow smile spread across her face. Storm smiled happily. "That's great!" he twined his tail with hers and set off towards Shadow.

As they reached the group, Flower recognized a few of the cats; Shadow herself, Lichen, Echo, and a few others. They traveled through the pine forest at a fast pace, and Flower's heart received a sharp pang as she saw the clump of trees she and Sun lived in. _Or used to live in, _she though miserably. Where their mother, Spots, had kitted and raised them. Where she died after another cat fought with her over a bit of prey she had caught to bring home to her kits. Where they had met their father for the first time. Wher they brought their prey and shared. Where they talked, laughed, and scuffled. Where she'd met Storm...It was her _home_.

They reached a sheltered hollow with stumps and sandy dens dug into the ground. Shadow leaped into a big, sturdy branch. "Cats, please gather beneath this branch so I may speak to you all as one unit. One Clan." her eyes flashed. The group converged into a tight-knit group. "My name is Shadowstar. You are all members of ShadowClan. I know its a lot to adjust to, but its for the good of all of us. Truly. You may not agree now, but maybe living with the Clan will convince you. Now, names are going to be very, very important in the Clans. So the first order of business. Kits younger than six moons, come forward." Five nervous kits came forward, with the two mothers nervous and guiding them. Shadowstar looked at the first. "What is your name?" The kit, a dark brown tabby, squeaked, "Mud!" Shadowstar looked at the queen's other two kits to tell her their names. "I'm Breeze! My sister is Blue." Shadowstar nodded. "You will be Mudkit, Breezekit, and Bluekit. What about you two?" She nodded at the two black furred kits. "They're Dew and Night-sky." they're mother said. "They will be Dewkit and Nightkit. Perhaps as a warrior, Nightkit will get her old name back." The queen looked a bit irritated, but dipped her head. This cat had nine lives, or so they say.

"Alright, any kits more than six moons but less than twelve, come forward." Seven came forward. Without being asked, they quickly said each of their names. They were Cloud, Moon, Grass, Patch, Thistle, Stream, and Mountain. Shadowstar named each, "You shall be apprentices. I will name your mentors later. But for now your names are Cloudpaw, Moonpaw, Grasspaw, Patchpaw, Thistlepaw, Streampaw, and Mountainpaw. When you become warriors, the 'paw part of your name will change. Alright, those two queens and any expecting queens, come forward." Flower pushed her way to the front, heart thrumming with a mixture of excitement she didn't understand. Much to her surprise, her friend, Lichen, stood beside her and winked. The two queens with their kits stayed in their places, keeping one careful eye on their kits.

"I am Lichen." said her friend confidently. She nudged Flower who stammered, "F-Flower." The other queens were Bright and Sparrow. Shadowstar thought for a moment, then said, "You will be Lichengaze, Dappleflower, Brightfeather, and Sparrowstripe. Okay, now for elders. These are retired cats unable to hunt for themselves. They will pass on their knowledge and wisdom to the younger cats. They are very important to the Clan." She said with steel in her gaze when some of the others tittered. Two elderly cats came forward. "I am Swift." said the white she-cat, while the gray tom next to her said, "Stone." Shadowstar looked at them with respect in her eyes. "Stoneclaw and Swiftheart. The Clan will hunt for you and tend to you. Lastly, my warriors. You will fight for the Clan, and hunt for your Clanmates without question. Except one of you. One of you will be the medicine cat, but that is a matter for another day. Please, one by one, tell me your name and I shall give you your warrior name.

"Sun!" Called out her sister immediately. Dappleflower smiled. "Shiningsun." Called back Shadowstar, and Dappleflower snickered. Her sister looked outraged. "Storm!" called her mate and Dappleflower glistened with pride. "Darkstorm!" "Echo!" called the black she-cat Dappleflower had befriended the previous moon. "Echofoot!" her friend wrinkled her nose. Not the best name, that was for certain. The other warriors became Aurorasong, Shadehawk, Oakleaf, Flamepelt, Nightberry, Birdflight, Ravenwhisker, Silvermist, Nettletail, and Smokewing. "Alright, Clan. Let's all sleep together for tonight in case of foxes. Queens, kits, elders, and apprentices in the center, warriors on the outside!" Dappleflower was jostled toward the center, and she felt a pang as she realized she wouldn't sleeping next to her sister.

_No_, she thought. _We've been sleeping together since the day we were born, and that's not going to change. I can defend myself anyway. And my kits._ She sought out Shiningsun and laid down beside her. "Hi there, Shiningsun!" she teased. Her sister growled. "What a stupid name. Stupid stupid stupid. Yours is decent! Why couldn't I be Dapplesun? Or Sundapple? Ooh, I like that. Sundapple. Maybe you should name one of your kits that." she sighed. "Oh well. Let's sleep." Dappleflower cast her gaze around for Darkstorm, and spotted him slipping through the throng of bodies toward her. A spark of warmth grew in her heart. "Darkstorm." she said his new name, rolling it on her tongue, trying it out. He frowned. "It makes me sound...evil. Like a killer storm or something. I don't like it. I like yours, though. Dappleflower is very pretty. Like you." She blushed. "Stop. Besides, Darkstorm is more like a powerful name than an evil name. Like the storm blots out the sun, making it dark. It isn't that bad. Not like Shiningsun's. Hers is so...girly. Totally doesn't fit her personality." By now her sister was fast asleep. Darkstorm let out a quiet purr. "I'll agree with that statement. Good night, my Dappleflower." She replied softly, "Good night, my Darkstorm." The hushed conversation came to an end as the sun bled into the horizon in a blaze of color.

**A/N: So, how did I do on names? I had to make a funny on poor Shiningsun to fit the title. but I really do like the name Sundapple. I'll fit it in somewhere in the story. Anyway, the names that I made purposely bad were Shiningsun, Echofoot, Lichengaze (barf), and Nettletail. Lichengaze is just awful. I really couldn't think of anything for miss Echo, and Shadowstar isn't too great at this anyway. I guess Echofoot is destined to be a chubby feller. xD But my other names? Ok or not so much? R&R, and tell me how you like the first chapter! (Don't worry, this is boring introductory stuffage. It will get bettar!)**


	2. Chapter 2: Of Moss and Dens

Dappleflower woke to lots of commotion; warriors were all hungry, kits running about while their mothers tried to round them up, and the apprentices tussling and play-fighting all over the place. Shadowstar had evidently had enough, because she shouted, "Enough!" with a wild look in her eyes and her fur was mussed. "Queens and kits- find a den somewhere in this area. I want three or four warriors to go and hunt. Shiningsun, lead a patrol with Oakleaf, Silvermist, and Smokewing. Find whatever you can, but don't eat it! Bring it straight back. Nightberry, Darkstorm, and Ravenwhisker. I need to speak with you. The rest of the warriors- look around for places to make let's see...five more dens! Two can be small, but the other three should be fairly large! Apprentices- stay out of the way."

Brightfeather was holding Mudkit by his scruff, and trying to round up Breezekit and Bluekit but she could only hold one at a time. Feeling sympathy for the poor she-cat, Dappleflower picked her way over and picked up Bluekit. Twisting her head around, she deposited the kit on her back, in the hollow between her shoulder blades. "That should help a bit. Maybe Breezekit can help us find the den now. Come on, it will be a race. Mudkit, Breezekit, Bluekit: whoever can find the perfect den gets a prize!" She looked at Brightfeather, who blinked gratefully at her. "Thank you." She mumbled around Mudkit, then put him down. Dappleflower put Bluekit next to him and said, "Go!" and the three kits scampered away. "Those kits are no easy bit of prey, I can tell you that. But you'll find out soon enough, now won't you?" she smiled.

Dappleflower dipped her head. "In a moon, maybe more. Anyway, let's look for a den, shall we? It will be good to have a quiet place all our own, without the whole Clan around. Though with kits running around, it won't exactly be quiet, will it?" Brightfeather's whiskers twitched. "Not in the least, I'm afraid." Dappleflower shrugged. She saw a likely looking clump of brambles against a pine. Low branches made a roof, and they could drag some of the brambles to the other side. Then it would be perfect. They saw Bluekit stumbling out, and Brightfeather smiled. "You win, Bluekit. This is our den. Go and tell your brother and sister, now." The kit walked away, tail high with pride. The expectant queen sliced some brambles from the side and dragged them around. Delicately, she twisted them into place. For good measure, she tore some moss from the trunk and spread it across the earth. It was lichen, not real moss for nests, but it would make the den floor softer on the kit's tender paws.

"Sparrowstripe! Lichengaze! Kits! The den's over here!" The nursery, Dappleflower dubbed it. Flamepelt came over and asked, "Would you like me to fetch you some moss for nests? I know a good place where I used to live." Dappleflower nodded, surprised at his kindness, but then she saw him brush pelts with Lichengaze on his way out. She wondered why he had spoken to _her_ if Lichengaze was his mate. Then she saw all the queens and kits looking at her expectantly. With a jolt, she realized she was like..The head queen. Very, very odd. "Let's wait for Flamepelt to get back with some moss. But this is the den, in here. It has enough room for all of us, is sheltered in the rain or snow, and is safe. And young Bluekit found it!" She smiled warmly at Brightfeather's kit, who blushed madly. "You can take a look around if you feel like it." She didn't know what else to say, so she padded over to Bluekit.

"So, what shall be your prize?" Bluekit looked up hopefully, "Can I pick out my nest first? For Bright and Mud and Breeze and me? Oops, I mean, Bright_feather_, Mud_kit_, Breeze_kit, _and me?" Dappleflower blinked. It would be hard to get used to your whole family's names being changed around. "Yes, of course." Ina louder tone, she called, "Everyone? Bluekit gets first pick of the nests for finding the nursery!" There was no grumbling or complaints, which surprised Dappleflower. Bluekit charged into the den, and sat slightly back from the entrance, and all the way to the side. "Here I can surprise any kits who come in!" she roared like a badger in example. She twitched her whiskers in amusement, and then Flamepelt showed up, holding the biggest ball of moss she'd ever seen.

"Thank you very much, Flamepelt, I can take it from here." He nodded and deposited the big ball on the ground. Dappleflower worked quickly, using the least moss for her own, since she didn't have any kits yet. Under Bluekit's careful eye, she set up the perfect nest for Brightfeather and company. "A little to the left, Bluekit said, directing from atop Dappleflower's head. "Good, now a teeny bit closer to the wall -no, that's too close. Just the tiniest tiniest bit forward. Perfect!" she pronounced, and jumped into the pile of moss. "Nests are ready!" called, and the kits and queens filed in. Mudkit and Breezekit ran over to Bluekit and leaped in the nest. Brightfeather joined them, but a tad more calm.

Sparrowstripe and her kits took the nest just off-center of the den, with the most moss. Lichengaze took the one in the far corner, leaving the one near Brightfeather's for Dappleflower, the one she'd intended to use. She nodded, and turned to leave. "Where ya goin'?" chirped Nightkit. "I'm just going to see how the warriors are doing finding other dens." Nightkit looked at Sparowstripe. "Can I come too? Pretty please?" Sparrowstripe nodded. "If its alright with Dappleflower." The queen smiled. "Of course. Hop on!" She knelt to the ground so Nightkit could climb on.

She padded out of the den, Nightkit clinging to her scruff, and Darkstorm walked over. "You have a kit on you." he teased. Dappleflower played along, "What? Where? Not a kit!" she turned in a circle, Nightkit squealing in delight. "You're really good with them." he purred. "Guess what?" His mate purred. "What?" Darkstorm told her, "Shadowstar made me head warrior! She said StarClan wanted me to do it. Who are these StarClan anyway?" He snorted and rolled his eyes. "They say StarClan is all of the cats who have died, and that their spirits can still talk with us. I would love to talk with Spots once more." She said wistfully. "Who's Spots?" squeaked Nightkit. Dappleflower sighed. "She was my mother." Nightkit's eyes were round as the moon. "You mean she died? Sparrowstripe's never going to die, is she?" Dappleflower told her gently, "All cats die, when they're ready, Nightkit. But don't worry, Sparrowstripe will live a long, long time. My mother was ready when she died. She loved Shiningsun and I, just as Sparrowstripe loves you. Now, lets help the warriors!"

Darkstorm looked at her questioningly. "Finding dens." She said as an answer. "Okay, I'll help you." Nighthawk looked busy excavating a promising looking hollow, so Dappleflower mentally counted: one! Echofoot and Aurorasong had found a den similar to the nursery, but with soft ferns for walls, and it was much larger. Ravenwhisker, Birdflight, and Nettletail were all working on one humongous den- probably for the warriors. Nightberry was peeking into a ledge in the crack of an enormous rock- nearly as big as the one between the four oaks. Shadowstar was next to her, and Dappleflower remembered that Nightberry was her kit. The three walked over (Well, two walked, and Nightkit rode) to the two black she-cats. "Shadowstar," Darkstorm dipped his head. I copied him automatically, making Nightkit squeal again as she slid forward a bit.

The ShadowClan leader's whiskers twitched as she looked at Nightkit on Dappleflower's back. "Yes?" Darkstorm replied, "It looks like we have a warriors den, an apprentice's den, and an elders den." He waved his tail at the groups of cats working on the dens. "And a medicine cat's den, here." Nightkit asked, "What's a medicine cat?" Shadowstar said, "A medicine cat is a cat that helps cats heal from injuries that they would otherwise die from. They use plants and the power of our ancestors to make it happen. They are very special members of the Clan. Nightberry is our medicine cat." Nightkit wrinkled her nose. "I would much rather fight than heal." Nightberry said calmly, not rankled at all, "That's why you're going to be a great warrior someday." Dappleflower added, "We have the nursery all ready, as well, Shadowstar." She smiled. "Very good. Now all we need is a den for me." The tortoiseshell she-cat looked around and saw where two fallen trees crossed. "With some brambles, that might be a good place." She flicked her tail toward the trees.

"Excellent eyes, Dappleflower!" She blushed. "I'll go set up." She and Nightkit trotted off, Darkstorm trailing behind. Flamepelt padded over. "Whatcha doin?" he asked. "Fixing up Shadowstar's den. Could you be so kind as to show Darkstorm where you found that moss? We'll need lots for all the cats in the Clan." The two toms set off and Nightkit chirped, "How come everyone does as you ask? You're not leader." Dappleflower shrugged, knowing she wasn't trying to be rude. "If you ask nicely, that usually happens. Besides, I wasn't asking for something unreasonable. It would have to be done sometime, anyway. Okay, Nightkit, ride's over. Do you want to stay and watch me fix up the den? Or you could go play with Dewkit if you'd like." The dark gray tabby kit with white spots shook her head. "I want to help! Dewkit's a mousebrain. And no fun."

Dappleflower chuckled. "Alright. Well, stand back for just a minute while I get some brambles. You can check the trees for any lichen, though since they're dead there might not be any. The kit obeyed quickly and jumped on the fallen tree on the right. She kept one eyes on the kit as she tugged and sliced brambles in thick swaths and dragged them over. Nightkit found a few bits of lichen and dropped them in a pile, slicing them off the tree with her miniature claws. When she'd gotten all the lichen from those two trees, she moved to a nearby tree and scrambled up it with ease to get even more lichen.

"That's plenty, Nightkit!" Dappleflower called and the kit raced down the trunk of the tree with a bunch of the light moss in her jaws. She dropped it and swiped her tongue over her lips in distaste. "Yuck." But she carefully helped the tortoiseshell to arrange the brambles and spread the lichen on the den floor. She yawned with tiredness when she heard Dappleflower yelp. "What is it?" The queen replied, a bit embarrassed, "Just got a thorn in my pad. Don't worry." She sat and lifted her paw up to her muzzle, quickly pulling the thorn out and spitting it on the ground. She licked her paw, which was bleeding a little. "Okay. Back to the nursery for you, miss. It's time you got something in your belly. Maybe a nap, too." She nudged the kit toward the nursery and she stumbled over, tired, but content.

Flamepelt and Darkstorm arrived, each with another huge ball of moss. She bounded over and mewed, "Thanks so much! I'll be right back; don't move!" They were happy to oblige, and sat. She sliced a swath of moss for Shadowstar's den. She put the moss in the center of the den, patted it into a more comfortable shape, and went back to the two toms. "Darkstorm, could you show me where the moss is so I can bring some more? Flamepelt, you're free to do as you wish." She felt a bit guilty for ordering them around, but it looked as if they were waiting for instruction, after all. The ginger tom dipped his head and padded over to Nightkit, who was halfway to the nursery.

As the mates walked out of the camp, Darkstorm said, "Maybe you'd be a better head warrior than me." She shook her head. "Nope. I doubt it! Besides, I'm a queen now. Remember?" she teased, and he chuckled. "How could I forget your mighty position in the Clan? After all, queens are the lifeblood." he grinned at her and led her to a very old tree, partially decaying with age, that was covered in what seemed to be endless piles of moss. The remnants of what must have been Flamepelt's previous den lay scattered about. "This is amazing. Let's call it the Moss Tree. She sliced chunks off and rolled them into a big ball. Next to her, her mate was doing the same.

Out of the seemingly peaceful, darkening trees, two scrawny foxes appeared from the shadows, fangs glistening in the dusk light.

**A/N: Okay. I lied. This was another boring introductory chapter like the first. But it was necessary! Besides, it has a cliff-hanger and I introduced more information on the ShadowClan cats. Like Lichengaze and Flamepelt are mates, and Flampelt's a real softie sweetheart. And Nightkit's purty awesome. Shadowstar isn't a total corn dog, either, plus she has a kit! gasp! Lol. Anyway, I promise it will get more interesting from here! Pinkie swear ;)**


	3. Chapter 3: Love and Pain

"Stay. Back." whispered Darkstorm tensely. "No. I will fight!" Dappleflower hissed back in a hushed tone. Her fur was standing on end with a mix of fear for the kits growing inside her and anger that the foxes would dare attack them. They were skinny, ribs showing through their mangy pelts. This was at once good and bad; they would not be strong, but they might be mad with hunger, and that would make them fearless. There was a chance they would fight until they died, since they didn't have that much to live for anyhow.

Darkstorm stepped in front of her protectively; a bad move, as the two foxes slunk towards them at a fast pace; no chance to run. Dappleflower pushed to stand next to him, every hair on her pelt standing on end. There was a vixen and a dog fox, she could scent the difference. The dog fox came at her while the vixen attacked her mate. The dog snarled and snapped at her, lunging for her throat, so she ducked her head to protect her throat, and dodged out of the way. She dug her teeth in it's back paw, but it quickly yanked free, clawing her flank deeply as it went.

It approached her again, a whirl of teeth and claws. She couldn't get a clear shot, so she leaped onto it's back and scrambled up till she was perched half on the back of it's neck, half on the top of it's head. It couldn't bite her or claw her like this, and she thought how ironic it was that the same position Nighkit had taken to have a joy-ride could also be used as a good fighting technique for the defensive on larger opponents.

The dog fox tried to shake her, but she clung on tight with her sharp claws. Finally, the fox realized the only way he would escape from this, and started to roll. SHe instinctively leaped off, and while it was rollling, attacked its exposed belly. She raked her claws down the soft, unprotected flesh, ripping it deep. The fox yelped and ran away, not looking back once as it left a trail of blood through the cold woods. The vixen was still fighting Darkstorm, and he was losing. "Like this!" She advised and leaped onto the vixen's back. But she was smarter than the dog fox, and she rolled before Dappleflower had a chance to land a single bite. She also covered her belly as she rolled with her paws, but she'd left her throat exposed, and Darkstorm sunk his fangs in. She struggled and kicked, but soon the light faded from her eyes and she was dead.

The pain from her injuries coupled with seeing the extent of Darkstorm's made a whimper of pain escape her lips. Darkstorm had four parallel lines of blood across his side, and he had a pretty deep bite on his shoulder, but the worst was his front left leg, which was nearly torn off, hanging on by mere sinew, and the bone crushed, splinters everywhere. It was severed right next to his chest, and Dappleflower shuddered as she realized the vixen may have been going for his heart. "Lay down, Darkstorm, I'm going to go get Nightberry. Yes, just there on the moss." The dark tom collapsed onto the moss and his eyes fluttered shut. "No! Don't fall asleep just yet, Darkstorm. You're staying awake for me. You're going to stay awake for the kits. Stay awake, you hear me? I'll be right back." He opened his eyes, steel in them. He murmured, "I will," but he was talking to thin air.

Dappleflower sprinted through the woods at a punishing pace, but the Moss Tree wasn't too far from camp, and Nightberry and Shadowstar sat talking in the clearing. "Nightberry!" She gasped, "Help! Darkstorm...and I...were attacked...by...foxes... At the Moss...Tree...He's hurt...bad." She said between gasps for air. Nightberry reacted quickly, running over and saying, "Show me where." Shadowstar looked worried and called, "Flamepelt! Nighthawk! Go with them to watch for more foxes. They'll be drawn by the blood. Quickly!" Dappleflower plunged back into the woods with the three cats following her. She ran as fast as she could, but her pace was hindered by exhaustion and injury. They finally got to the Moss Tree, after was seemed like ages, and she stood shakily next to Darkstorm.

Nightberry was in her element. "Flamepelt! Find some cobwebs! Lots of them! Nighthawk, you know what poppy seeds look like. Get a lot of them. Dappleflower, keep him awake at all costs." She lay beside him and murmured soft purring sounds, not really speaking. But as he started to look sleepy, she talked at him. "You are going to stay awake, my Darkstorm. Our kits can't be fatherless. You fought for a reason, and you're going to stay with me for the same reason. Do not go to sleep. I know it's hard, but just stay awake. Nightberry's going to fix you up. You're not leaving me and the kits. I never met my father, but they're going to meet theirs. Promise me that. Awake, awake, awake. Stay. Awake." He nodded. Nightberry reappeared, herbs in her mouth, and Flamepelt was just behind her with a large wad of cobwebs.

"Thank you, now go get more. We're going to need a lot." The ginger tom shot off at Nightberry's words. "Where's Nighthawk at..." she muttered, then he appeared with a head of poppy seeds in his mouth. He dropped them at her paws, and she turned to Dappleflower. "Okay, these will make him sleep now, and he won't feel any pain. I'm giving you some, too." She gave Darkstorm four poppy seeds, and he licked them up. Almost immediately, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. The black she-cat looked him over, and studied his leg. "I'm sorry Dappleflower, but I can't save his leg. When I was a kittypet, I lived in a big Twoleg place full of cats, and several of them only had three legs. They could still walk. It'll be okay. He'll just be a lousy hunter, and that doesn't matter since we're in a Clan now; everyone will help him. Now, eat these. You can sleep now, I'll take care of you both. " She licked up three poppy seeds, and began to dream.

* * *

She woke again, still at the Moss Tree, with cobwebs on her flank and on her back leg, where she'd been bitten. She felt pretty much okay, though her wounds still hurt. Then she remembered Darkstorm. She looked up over the root that separated them and saw with a pang where his foreleg used to be. All that was left was a cobwebbed stump. She was glad the leg wasn't around, though she saw a pile of churned earth where it was probably buried. Nightberry was bickering with someone on the other side of the tree. Shadowstar, she decided, from the sound of her voice.

"He can't be moved! The stump will start bleeding if he tries to walk! It will bleed so much that I can't stop it, and then he'll die." Shadowstar came back, "But they're both so susceptible to danger, and we can't spare a warrior to guard them here until her heals! They have to get back to the camp." Dappleflower pondered this for a moment, then ventured, "Could he be carried back?" She didn't care if she was butting in or eavesdropping. It didn't matter. "One cat couldn't possibly carry him, and if there were two they would have to be the exact same size and walk the same pace the whole time-" Dappleflower interrupted, "Shiningsun and I are the exact same height. We're sisters, from the same birthing sac. I know it's weird but its true. There's a Twoleg term for it. Twins. Spots, our mother, knew about a lot of kittypet things. She was one for a while. We're alike in every way except personality. Our pelts match and everything." Nightberry nodded. "That might work- if you can handle carrying half his weight, injured as you are." Dappleflower nodded determinedly. "I can do it."

Shiningsun was retrieved from her second hunting patrol, and looked sadly at her sister. "Let's do this." Dappleflower nodded. "Remember that if you try to take more of his weight off me, he might start bleeding. Don't feel bad for me. Okay, now stand next to me, right here. They were brushing pelts, and Shadowstar and Nightberry heaved him by his scruff onto their backs. "Good thing we're just out of leaf-bare, and he's not too fat." she huffed and winked at her sister. Dappleflower rolled her eyes and replied, "Oh stuff it, Shiny. Now, left paw forward, first, on my count, and walk slow. One, two, three." She stepped forward, and after a scary moment trying to set the pace, they started walking slowly behind Shadowstar back to camp. Their pace was matched, slow, and careful. They made it to camp and walked to Nightberry's den. There was a moss nest ready, so with a glance, the two she-cats knelt. Darkstorm was taken and laid in his nest just as he woke.

"D... Dapple...flower...okay...?" Her eyes welled with tears of pain as she looked at her mate, concerned for her in his condition! "I'm fine, just fine. It's you I'm worried about." The gray tom lapsed back into sleep, and Nightberry looked at her sadly. "I'll come tell you when he wakes up enough to see his leg. He'll need you when it happens. But you should go to the nursery for now. I obeyed, though I wasn't looking forward to telling the whole story to Shiningsun and the kits; her sister looked madder than a badger! She laid in her nest and longed to fall asleep. Shiningsun glowered at her and sat. "I want the full story some time, Flower." In a lighter tone, she played with Dewkit, but even given the chance, sleep would not come.

**A/N: Okay, a little shorter than the last chapter, but a lot more exciting! And sad :( But I might not update for a few days (three or four at most) since I have to work on my other fanfic, Hunted. If you want to read something as you wait, read Cedarstar's Secret! :p See you in a bit! Oh, and thanks warriorcrazy for being a devoted reviewer! You deserve about twelve more mentions! ****R&R everybody!**


	4. Chapter 4: Fragile Peace

**A/N: Hey guys! In response to a couple of questions I got in PM's: yes, cats really can have twins! Not like two kittens in a litter; like two kittens with the same birthing sac. Speaking of which, since twins run in families,do you think Dappleflower should have twins with her other kits? And she won't have kits for a couple chapters; she's still early in the process, which leads me to my other question: Cats have a gestation period (kitties in the belly time) of about sixty to seventy days, but when I wrote this, I thought it was only like forty. So normally, the cat would most likely be aware of it a month and a half before hand. So let's you and me pretend that Dappleflower just thought she was sick or sumthin? Lol I feel stupid... Anyway, happy Chapter Four! (EDIT: First version of this chapter was awful, so I re-wrote it!) P.S. This is like...two weeks later from the first chapter. No, two and a half. Two. Two and a half. Bah, whatever. **

Shiningsun stretched her mottled legs, then started cleaning her fur for the day. She paused to yawn, and a voice said, "You missed a spot." It was Shadehawk. Her fur bristled slightly. Why was he watching her? But she replied smoothly, "Thanks." The dark warrior dipped his head, his slightly creepy blue eyes flashing. They were like the ice that formed on the river in leaf-bare, cold and emotionless. She stifled a shiver and left the warm den to get away from Shadehawk. There was something off about the tom.

She padded out of the den to see Shadowstar leap onto the strong bough of a young pine, her muscles rippling under her black pelt. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather beneath HighBranch!" she called, her voice ringing out clearly through the camp,wise but proud. Shadehawk sauntered out of the warriors' den and started walking over to her. She groaned internally. The queens filed out of the nursery, and Shiningsun dodged away from Shadehawk to sit with her sister. She saw her sister's swollen belly, and exclaimed, "You're huge! You'll be having them soon, won't you? And I might not be a medicine cat, but you're definitely bigger than Lichengaze, even though she's father along than you. I guess that means you'll be having more kits, right? Or at least bigger ones?" Her sister rolled her eyes. "Soon enough. And I have no idea, seeing as I've never had kits before, have I? At least cats can tell us apart now." she grinned.

She saw Shadehawk giving her a strange look from across the clearing, but as he got to his paws, Shadowstar began to speak, so he sat down reluctantly. "When you all first arrived here, I know many of you had your doubts about Clan life. Now I am going to introduce another aspect of Clan life." She glanced around the camp haughtily, but no cat protested. "Apprentices. Most of you were taught how to hunt and fight by your parents. But sometimes parents can be soft on their kits and not push them as hard as they should, and therefore make the kits not as adept hunters or fighters. To fix this problem of generations growing weaker and weaker as time goes by, we, me and the other leaders, have decided to use mentors. Mentors are warriors experienced enough to teach a young cat how to survive and be the best warrior they can be.

"At six moons, our kits will change their names from say, Mudkit to Mudpaw, and become an apprentice. I will choose their mentor, and that cat will teach them all they know. Now, I shall give each of our apprentices a mentor. Will all of you apprentices step forward?" The seven young cats nervously came closer to the pine. "Cloudpaw! Your mentor will be Flamepelt. I knew him before the Clans started, and he is a brave and loyal cat. He will soon be a father, and I am sure he will be an excellent mentor to you. Now, step forward and brush muzzles to accept him as your mentor." The two toms, one gray, one ginger, touched each other's cheek with their own.

"Mountainpaw, your mentor will be Silvermist. She has been a mother before and knows to treat every young cat with respect, but also to keep them in line. May she mentor you well." the two she-cats also brushed muzzles, and then Shadowstar continued the ceremony. "Thistlepaw, your mentor will be Shadehawk. I can see he is a powerful warrior, and I hope he will pass on more than just fighting skills to you." Shiningsun's pelt prickled as a cruel glint appeared in Shadehawk's eyes. He brushed muzzles with spiky blue she-cat, and she came away from it looking rather unnerved. Had he said something to her? Her hackles rose, but she forced them to lie flat. She would just have to keep an eye on Thistlepaw.

"Grasspaw, I will mentor you, and share with you all the knowledge I have. Moonpaw, your mentor will be Echofoot. She is an excellent hunter, and will make you a credit to our Clan. Streampaw, Oakleaf will mentor you. I do not know of his skills, but I am sure they are adept. Patchpaw, you mentor will be Shiningsun. She is a loyal warrior and a hunter StarClan would be proud of. May you learn all the skills she has to teach you." Shiningsun brushed muzzle with the gray and white tom. He was strong and determination shone in his eyes, yet he did not seem ambitious. He looked to be around eleven moons, close to being a warrior already. Perhaps she did not have that much to teach him. "After an apprenticing ceremony, or, for that matter, a warrior, elder, or deputyship ceremony, you should chant the cats' names." She raised her voice and called, "Cloudpaw! Mountainpaw! Thistlepaw! Grasspaw! Moonpaw! Streampaw! Patchpaw!" The other cats joined in the call, and the young cats lifted their tails proudly. It was very uplifting.

After the cries died down, Shadowstar split off from the crowd with Grasspaw at her side. "Well, Patchpaw, would you like to go battle-training?" She suggested brightly. He nodded eagerly. "Can Thistlepaw come too?" he asked hopefully. "Go ask Shadehawk, and we'll see," she said, and he scampered off. This would be a good way to see how Shadehawk handled his apprentice, but she didn't really want to be around him. "Congratulations, Shiningsun!" Dappleflower purred. Startled out of her thoughts, she smiled. "Thanks." Shadehawk was padding towards her now, Thistlepaw and Patchpaw talking animatedly. "I'll see you later, alright?" Dappleflower dipped her head and slowly got to her paws. She lumbered to the nursery as Shadehawk approached. "You and Dappleflower look a lot alike." he said simply. "We're sisters." replied Shiningsun stiffly. "Let's be on our way." The four cats left the camp, and Shadehawk began to question the apprentices.

"How many moons are you?" Thistlepaw replied coolly, "I'm ten and a half moons." Patchpaw also answered, "Eleven moons." The ginger streaked tom's eyes darkened. "Do either of you know how to hunt or fight?" Patchpaw snorted. "What's so funny?" snapped Shadehawk. Unfazed, her apprentice rolled his eyes dramatically. "Of course we know how to hunt and fight. We're both about_ eleven moons_!" Shadehawk opened his mouth, most likely to snap something rude at him, but Shiningsun glared at him so viciously he stopped. "So, what are all of your stories?" she asked as they continued into the forest.

Thistlepaw began slowly, "Well, my mother is Aurorasong. Her old name was Cobalt. She was a kittypet. Cloudpaw, Moonpaw, and Streampaw are my littermates, but there was also Moss, Leaf, and Wing. But her twolegs were getting rid of us, one by one. Moss and Leaf had already been taken when we decided to leave. But Wing stayed behind because hefelt sorry for the Twolegs... So we came to the forest, and Cobalt- I mean, Aurorasong learned to hunt. But she wasn't very good at it. That tom, Ravenwhisker, helped her hunt for us until we were old enough to start learning how to hunt for ourselves. I'm glad we're in the same Clan as Raven. Um, whisker. " She concluded sadly. Shiningsun brushed her tail along the she-cat's flank comfortingly. "Your mother was very brave to do that, and I'm sorry about Leaf and Moss. But what about you, Patchpaw?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"I don't really remember my mother or father; I just remember waking up one day in these woods, all alone. I wandered around for a bit, but I was too young to eat prey even if I could have caught any. But a queen must have heard me calling, because she came. She never told me her name, but she was strong and brave. She suckled me until I was old enough, and then she caught prey for me until I learned how to hunt. She taught me some about fighting, too, before a dog came. She couldn't fight it, and she forced me to hide from it. I miss her. Do you think she's in this "StarClan" that Shadowstar was talking about?" Shadehawk growled, "There's no such thing, mouse-brain." But Shiningsun nipped his shoulder hard and said kindly, "Shadehawk's the mouse-brain. There is a StarClan; Nightberry told me about them. I'm sure she's up there." Patchpaw looked slightly happier as he asked, "What about you, Shiningsun? What's your story?"

"Well, its not much of a story, but here it is. Dappleflower and I lived with our mother, Spots, in a clump of trees not too far from here. Spots taught us everything we know, and we only met our father, Sky, once. He wasn't much of a father, but now he's the leader of SkyClan. He was always really good at jumping to catch birds, and he taught me how, but I just don't have the leg strength to be as good as him. Spots died, but I know that she's in StarClan." She paused then glanced at Shadehawk. "That just leaves you, Shadehawk." He let out a low growl, "I don't have a story." Thistlepaw muttered in Patchpaw's ear, "That's convenient." It could very well have been the last thing she said.

Shadehawk tackled her to the forest floor and lifted his paw, claws unsheathed, as if to slice her throat open. Shiningsun lunged at him, knocking him off of the apprentice and into a tree, at the same time as Patchpaw sank his teeth into the older tom's flank. Thistlepaw stood, bristling, as Shiningsun sank her claws into his fur, Patchpaw beside her. Together they held him down easily, and she spat, "How dare you attack an apprentice! You should be ashamed of yourself, you violent bit of fox-dung!" He bared his teeth at her. "She was being rude." he growled, giving Thistlepaw the evil eye. She snarled at him, her fur fluffed up to twice its normal size from her mentor's attack. "She's hardly more than a kit, and kits are always cheeky. You had no right to go attacking her like that!" She pushed him harder against the tree, hatred flowing freely. "I'll do whatever I want." he snapped. She lowered her face dangerously close to his. "Maybe once you could, but now you live in a Clan. Respect the rules, and suffer the consequences. If you can't handle that, then be the coward you are and leave." With those words, she spat in his face.

**A/N: How did ya like Shiningsun's POV? lolz**

**R&R! (Plz?)**


	5. Allegiances

**A/N: Sorry to disappoint all of you, but this isn't a real chapter, just an allegiances. It needs one badly! I am just doing ShadowClan, because frankly, writing the three other Clans' characters would take forever and I probably wouldn't even use half of them in the story! So just ShadowClan for now. I'll probably do another allegiances at some point to clear it all up, but here it is so far!**

**SHADOWCLAN:**

**_Leader:_ Shadowstar - **thick-furred black she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice, Grasspaw**

**_Deputy:_ Ravenwhisker* - **black and white tom with long whiskers and blue eyes

**_Medicine Cat:_ Nightberry - **black she-cat with bright blue eyes and a red nose like a berry

**_Warriors: _Darkstorm -** dark gray tom with black markings

**Shiningsun - **pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with bright yellow eyes

**Apprentice, Patchpaw**

**Flamepelt - **dark ginger tom with dark amber eyes

**Apprentice, Cloudpaw**

**Shadehawk - **black tom with dark ginger streaks

**Apprentice, Thistlepaw**

**Aurorasong - **beautiful dark blue-gray she-cat with a silvery sheen and emerald green eyes

**Smokewing - **dark gray tom with black spots on his back

**Echofoot- **small black she-cat with yellow eyes

**Apprentice, Moonpaw**

**Oakleaf -** big brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Apprentice, Streampaw**

**Silvermist - **pale silver she-cat with blue eyes

**Apprentice, Mountainpaw**

**Nettletail - **light brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a crooked tail

_**Apprentices: **_Patchpaw - light gray tom with white patches

**Cloudpaw - **pure white tom with green eyes

**Moonpaw - **very light gray she-cat with yellow eyes

**Thistlepaw - **she-cat with spiky blue fur and green eyes

**Streampaw -** gray tom with a blue tint and sapphire blue eyes

**Grasspaw -** tortoiseshell tom with grass green eyes

**Mountainpaw - **very dark gray tom with amber eyes

**_Queens:_ Dappleflower - **pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with bright yellow eyes, expecting Darkstorm's kits

**Lichengaze - **pale ginger, almost yellow she-cat with lichen green eyes, expecting Flamepelt's kits

**Brightfeather - **white she-cat with a few ginger patches, mother of Simba's ** kits: Mudkit, Breezekit, and Bluekit

**Sparrowstripe - **dark brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes, mother of Smokewing's kits: Dewkit and Nightkit

_**Kits***: **_**Mudkit - **dark brown tom with darker streaks and amber eyes

**Breezekit - **slender, very pale brown (almost white) she-cat

**Bluekit - **ginger and white she-cat with startlingly blue eyes

**Dewkit - **very dark brown tabby with blue eyes

**Nightkit - **black she-cat with white speckles and yellow eyes

_**Elders: **_**Stoneclaw- **big gray tabby tom

**Swiftpath - **white she-cat with kind amber eyes

* Ravenwhisker is the temporary deputy while Darkstorm is incapacitated. Once he's better, he will resume being deputy.

** Simba is a kittypet that didn't join the Clans. Poor Brightfeather :(

*** I always give kits their own section because the queens' descriptions get way too long, and besides, kits are just as important!

**A/N: If I made any mistakes, it would be a wonderful service to me if you could point them out in a review or private message! But not about Shadehawk's name, because I know I accidentally called him Nighthawk in one of the chapters, but we already have Nightberry and Nightkit, so...He's still Shadehawk! And a bit of a turd, too, as you will find out...**


	6. Chapter 5: Out of Death, Life

**A/N: Wow, it's been a terribly long time since I updated this, and I am quite sorry :( I've been caught up with the first few weeks of my freshman year in high school, but that's no excuse. I hope I still have some reviewers left... Bah, I'm self-involved today. Here is chapter five! (Technically it's chapter 6, but the prologue and allegiances weren't really chapters, so...)**

Dappleflower's stomach felt heavy with her kits, but she knew they wouldn't arrive for a while yet. Lichengaze, however, was quite close to term, and she could have her kits any day now. Nightberry flitted around the den nervously, perhaps waiting to deliver her the first litter of kits to be born in ShadowClan. The medicine cat's belly was hardly distended, and no cat would have suspected her pregnancy, had Shadowstar not told the Clan. Flamepelt was also jumpy, stopping by after every patrol he went on. Funnily enough, Lichengaze was the calmest of them, though she was the one facing the ordeal. Just thinking about it made Dappleflower edgy. How would she get on with her own kitting?

Shiningsun entered the den with a distracted gaze and her tail snapping back and forth with anger. She settled down on the ground beside Dappleflower, but she still looked like something was on her mind. "What is it?" Dappleflower asked without hesitation, and her sister shot the queen a grateful look. "Shadehawk. He attacked Thistlepaw." Dappleflower's hackles lifted and her eyes widened with shock. "He did _what_?" Shiningsun elaborated, "We were on patrol with our apprentices, talking about our stories, and Thistlepaw got just the slightest bit cheeky, and so... he attacked. She could have died! I don't want them to be alone together, ever, but since they're mentor and apprentice, I don't see how I can stop that..." Worry flashed in Shiningun's eyes, and her sister gave her a comforting lick. "We're going to tell Shadowstar. She'll make sure he won't harm Thistlepaw."

The two tortoiseshells got to their paws, Dappleflower with a little effort, and padded out of the den. Shadowstar was dozing in at the base of a tree next to Ravenwhisker, who was nibbling on a thrush. "Shadowstar, may we speak with you?" asked Shiningsun, and the big black she-cat opened her eyes. Stifling a yawn, she nodded. Ravenwhisker took the hint and took his thrush elsewhere to sit and eat it. "It's about Shadehawk." Shadowstar's eyes narrowed slightly, but she simply waited for the warrior to continue. "When we were on patrol today, he attacked Thistlepaw for a cheeky remark. It wasn't playful either; she could have been seriously injured." reported Shiningsun and Shadowstar's eyes blazed furiously. "I don't think we should let him alone with her, just in case," Dappleflower put in and the leader dipped her head. "Thank you for telling me this. Shiningsun, you are to train Patchpaw with him and Thistlepaw whenever you can. When you can't, that will be Oakleaf's duty. He's big and strong, and he can take care of it. Send him to me."

The two sisters found Oakleaf standing guard at the camp entrance with one eye on Streampaw as the apprentice ran towards the entrance with a ball of the elder's dirty bedding at his paws. "Oh, good, Shiningsun." Oakleaf said and asked, "Can you stand guard will I take Streampaw to the Moss Tree? We need new bedding for the elders." Dappleflower interjected, "Actually, Oakleaf, Shadowstar want to see you. I'll take Streampaw and Shiningsun will stand guard." His green eyes met with hers and he tipped his head to one side. "Are you sure? I mean, since-" Firmly, the tortoiseshell queen interrupted him. "Just because I've got kits running around inside me doesn't mean I won't be able to fight off a fox. I am probably even more able than you right now, given my unreasonable protectiveness. I know it's there. Now, get to Shadowstar before I have to shove you all the way there." The big tom shrugged and left his post, and Dappleflower nodded to Streampaw. "Let's go."

The gray tom followed her out of camp to the Moss Tree without saying much. When they arrived, he merely started slicing away at the moss with his claws. Dappleflower had just bent down to help him when his head shot up and his eyes widened. "What is it?" Dappleflower asked warily, dreading the answer. When the apprentice didn't answer, she lifted her head to see a swarm of foxes, more than she'd ever seen before in her life. There had to be more than ten of them! what could they do? They couldn't possibly fight; they were just two cats and they would both die very quickly. But they couldn't run; there was no where to go except back to camp, and if they couldn't lead them back to the camp! Before she could say this, Streampaw started to streak away, his gray pelt fluffed out to twice it's normal size. Two foxes followed him, but the rest stared down at Dappleflower with hungry eyes. She sprinted for the ones that were following Streampaw, and faced them.

These were not the scrawny, weak foxes she and Darkstorm had fought before; they were fit and strong, with thorn-sharp fangs that gleamed in the half-light. Their pelts were a deep russet that showed that they were quite healthy. One of them snapped at her, and she clawed at its muzzle, knowing that she was doomed. Her claws met in its muzzle and bright red drops of blood scattered across the ground. The fox made a noise like a hiss and leaned back on its haunches, about to spring at the pregnant she-cat. She thought of the kits in her belly, and how they would die too, if she lost this impossible fight. That thought gave her a strength coursed through her like fire and she snarled so fiercely that the second fox hesitated to join it's companion.

Before the fox could pounce, she rocketed at it with a ferocity she never knew could exist inside her, and she raked her claws down it's side. It crunched down on her tail, and she howled with pain. She saw a flash of fur that was not russet like the foxes' and a gleam of hope appeared in her. Had Streampaw made it to camp and gotten reinforcements? It was true! _Thank you, StarClan_, Dappleflower thought vehemently as Nettletail appeared beside her and started clawing at her opponent. Silvermist darted over to her and hissed, "Back to camp now, before you get your kits killed!" Dappleflower was only too happy to oblige as she shot back to camp as fast as she could. There was a cat running alongside her, but she didn't bother to see who it was.

She realized as she ran through the camp entrance that it was Nettletail, and there were more pawsteps behind her. She glanced backward and saw Silvermist, as well as Streampaw. Realization hit her like a tree; that was the whole patrol. They couldn't fight off the foxes, so they'd retreated. And judging by the loud crashing that came from near the camp entrance, the foxes had followed them. The she-cat ran to the nursery to warn the kits and fellow queens of danger while exhaustion crept in. She felt hot breath on her tail and whipped around to find herself face to face with a fox. She wanted to wail with frustration, but instead she yowled her alarm to the nursery. "Foxes in the camp! Queens stay in the nursery!" she howled as loudly as she could, which seemed to piss off the fox more than a little. It lunged for her, and she reared up on her hind legs to swipe at it with both of her front paws. She saw a light ginger pelt flash near her and thought, _Thank StarClan, Flamepelt can help me! _She was too preoccupied to look at her savior for a minute while she fought alongside him, slashing at the fox, but she caught a glimpse of Flamepelt's fur and realized that this fur was not the bright ginger of his pelt, but the yellow fur of Lichengaze!

"No, Lichengaze!" Dappleflower cried and tried to shove her away from the danger. Taking advantage of the queen's distraction, the fox caught Dappleflower on the side of the head, making her slam into the ground a few tail-lengths away. As she struggled to her paws, she saw that the fox had clamped down on Lichengaze's neck. "NO!" screeched the tortoiseshell and she tore after it and crashed into it's side. She heard a triumphant yowl from the other side of camp and realized that they had driven off the rest of the foxes. She was vaguely aware that some cat had dragged the fox away and driven it out of camp. She looked around desperately and saw Lichengaze's limp form, stained with blood, a tail-length away.

She padded warily over and saw that her friend was still alive, her sides barely lifting, but they were indeed, lifting! "Nightberry!" Dappleflower screeched, and the she-cat was luckily only a few fox-lengths away, blood leaking from a scratch on her shoulder. "Oh, -" Ngithberry uttered a word Dappleflower had heard only once before. Dappleflower looked at Lichengaze and said, "Hang on, Lichen. Hang on for your kits!" Her eyes clouded with pain and she coughed, "Save -k..." she broke off, and the light faded from her eyes. Dappleflower knew she was dead, butshe forced her grief away and said sharply to Nightberry, "Is there any way we can save the kits?" the black she-cat appeared to be thinking fast, but looked doubtful. Apprehension came into her eyes and she said slowly, "I suppose we could... Take them out of her belly..." Dappleflower flinched as she realized what the medicine cat meant. "Do it. Now. They can't breathe." When Nightberry hesitated, she snarled, "DO IT!"

The she-cat started to draw her claw carefully down Lichengaze's soft belly, being careful not to slice too far in. The skin split open and blood poured out grossly, but they ignored it. Now was definitely not the time to be squeamish. Dappleflower saw a birthing sac that was slightly squirming. Dappleflower turned away, not wanting to see anymore. But Nightberry told her to make sure the kit was breathing while she delivered the others, so she had to turn back. The kit was small, very small, and it wasn't breathing. Dappleflower leaned down and licked it's fur backwards and felt a rush of relief as it took its first, shuddering breath. It's fur was the same yellow tone as his mother's Dappleflower noted sadly, There was no time to dwell on that, though, because Nightberry had plopped down a second kit at her paws. This one had fur somewhat darker than Flamepelt's, and was even smaller than the first. She licked it fiercely and it started to breathe softly.

Nightberry had taken out the last kit, and was licking it, but it's small lungs didn't start to work. It was dead. The medicine cat met gazes with Dappleflower and shook her head sadly. Only a few cats had seen the proceedings, as the rest were fortifying the destroyed camp entrance. "We have to get you all to the nursery," Nightberry said quietly and took the dark ginger kit in her mouth carefully. Dappleflower copied her and very gently picked up the lighter kit. She settled into her nest, numb with shock and exhaustion, and didn't question Nightberry as she placed the smaller kit at her belly. Brightfeather and Sparrowstripe's kits were too old to nurse and their milk had dried up. Thankfully, Dappleflower had been chewing borage leaves for a the last few days, because her milk came easily when the kits began to suckle. Nightberry dipped her head and left.

Dappleflower flinched as she heard a yowl of grief that she recognized as Flamepelt's from outside. He had lost his mate and a kit in the same day. He burst into the den and his eyes locked on his kits. He rushed over and sniffed them over. "He is Lichenkit." he waved his tail at the tom with Lichengaze's pale ginger coat. He looked at the darker one for a moment, then said, "She will be Redkit." he gave Lichenkit a lick, then bustled out of the den. His reddish tail dragged on the ground, and his ears lay flat against his head. Dappleflower nuzzled Redkit and Lichenkit, then laid her head on the soft moss of her nest, and drifted into a cold, dreamless sleep.

**A/N: I hope no one ever has to experience the horror of writing about a medicine cat doing a cesarean (C-section) on a dead cat ever. Ever. I am sorry you had to read about it. Don't kill me for killing off Lichengaze. :/ The foxes attacked in revenge of the two that were driven off before, like the badger attack, only Midnight wasn't there to warn them or bring help :(Sad.**


	7. Chapter 6: Nightmare

**A/N: I... haven't updated for the longest time. I am very sorry. Reviews are appreciated, not that I deserve any :/ As I am writing somewhere around eight to ten stories at once, there will probably be quite a delay between chapters, I'm afraid. Hopefully these will only be week-long delays as opposed to months. And speaking of months (but not really), this takes place one week after the last. **

* * *

"They sure are growing fast, huh, Dappleflower?" Thistlepaw asked excitedly, looking down at Lichenkit and Redkit, asleep at her belly. Her sister's apprentice was right; the kits were growing rather quickly, but they were still a bit small for their age. Dappleflower suspected this would likely be the case for the rest of their lives. "Yeah," the queen mumbled in response to her. She knew that Shiningsun had put her up to trying to comfort her, but couldn't stand talking about Lichen herself. The sisters had known her since before the Clans had been made. Buried in thought, Dappleflower didn't notice Thistlepaw quietly slip away, and she didn't hear Shadehawk approach.

Approach he did, however. "Hello, Dappleflower." He said smoothly, flopping down on the floor of the den. The queen's eyes flashed opened and she let her claws come out and sink into the earth. She only gave him an angry, questioning look, not bothering to give him the satisfaction of speaking. He chuckled and his cold eyes flashed. "What's with the look, honey? I just came to say hello to you and the kits." Ugh. Smooth as a snake and twice as dangerous. Dappleflower curled her tail protectively around Lichen's kits and spat derisively, "Don't call me honey. I know what you almost did to your own apprentice." Fire smoldered in her golden eyes as she regarded him icily. Perhaps it was the hormones of a very pregnant queen, but she _really_ did not like this particular cat.

Said cat let out a sigh and smiled. "Heard about that, did you, sweetheart? Well I suppose you would, being sisters with the cat who stopped me. Whoo, is she a firecracker or what? Looks just like you, 'cept for the whole you having a bunch of kittens in your pouch. Are they the Three-Legged-Failure's?" Dappleflower narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth as Shadehawk insulted her mate. He only smiled easily at her response. "I thought maybe. Jeez, that cat couldn't even save you from a couple of foxes, huh? But you managed to escape." His eyes glowed briefly. "I like my queens strong." His eyes trailed down her form. "Maybe after the rats grow up-" Dappleflower gritted her teeth and said in a dangerously low tone, "Get. Out." He laughed and got to his paws. Walking out of the den, he winked and said, "I'll be seeing you later, honey."

Dappleflower shuddered, but felt the rage and disgust coursing through her veins alleviate when he was gone. She laid her head down to try and sleep, like the kits were still, nestled halfway in her dappled fur, but pawsteps coming toward the mouth of the den prevented that. These were followed by a very unwelcome voice. "Offer still stands, sweetheart." Shadehawk told her in a sly voice that let Dappleflower inexplicably know that a disturbing grin adorned his face. Her claws, just retracted came out again, and she tensed to respond, but he was already walking away. Still she caught the light laugh that came from him and felt like kicking rocks at him from sunhigh to moonrise.

She shifted and tried to go to rest again before more paws approached. Her eyes flew open and she hissed, "Shadehawk! Why don't you-" she paused, then uttered a stream of foul curses that made her glad the other kits were away and Lichen's were too young to pick any of it up. Dappleflower broke off when a pair of familiar blue eyes blinked at her in surprise. Definitely not the eyes of the harassing tom. Blushing, she said slowly, "Um, s-sorry Darkstorm... I... Darkstorm? How're you-?" She cut off mid-sentence. How was he here? He hobbled into the den and sat down next to her. The stump of what was left of his leg was wrapped heavily in cobwebs but very little blood was darkened the white. He smiled at her, in his kind, sweet, shy way, so unlike stupid Shadehawk's creepy grin. _Why are you comparing them? _She thought to herself concernedly. "Nightberry's fixed me up pretty well. I'm not supposed to be wandering around, but... I had to see you. How you were doing. I heard about.. everything." He glanced down at Lichen's kits.

The hint of pain in his voice told Dappleflower that he wasn't as healed as he appeared to be. Her own voice was rather shaky as she replied, "I'm okay." Scooching closer with the smallest of winces, he twined his tail with hers. "I don't think you are." His deep blue-gray eyes met hers and searched them. After a moment, she looked down. As if reading her mind, Darkstorm leaned forward and gently licked her nose. As they looked into each other's eyes again, a fit of high-pitched giggling distracted them. They looked over at the mouth of the den to see Nightkit, lying on the ground with her paws waving in the air as she laughed. Darkstorm let out a large breath he was apparently holding in, and the laughter immediately stopped. Nightkit got solemnly to her paws, licked her fur once, gave a quick nod, and left without further pause.

Dappleflower and Darkstorm looked at each other in confusion for a moment before starting to laugh themselves with the absurdity. Darkstorm laughed until his sides hurt, while his mate started hiccuping from the spasmodic laughter. it wasn't really that funny, but they were releasing all the pent-up pain and emotion. All the hurt that had built up was dissipated, leaving the two more light-hearted than they had been since before Darkstorm's injury. "Darkstorm!" the medicine cat's voice screeched for her patient, sounding most irritated. Looking down briefly, e licked her cheek once more before saying apologetically, "I'd better go..." The happy light didn't fade from his eyes, and he seemed to have an easier time hobbling away. She let out a small sigh, but the smile still remained on her muzzle.

* * *

A few hours later, Dappleflower awoke with a jolt. She glanced outside and saw the moon just above the horizon, smiling at her. Just moonrise then. A few warriors of StarClan winked at her, and she looked around to see that Brightfeather, Sparrowstripe and all of the kits had returned to the den. She was just wondering what had awoken her when a sharp pain flashed through her stomach. Dappleflower gave a small gasp and looked downward in shock. Were her kits coming?

"Brightfeather!" she hissed, the soft sound becoming louder towards the end until it was almost a screech as a pain came again. The queen didn't move. "Brightfeather!" she said louder. Still her friend did not even twitch. Desperate now, she yelled, "BRIGHTFEATHER! SPARROWSTRIPE!" There was no response. What the heck was going on? Surely they couldn't sleep through that? "Ow!" she scowled as another pain racked her body. "Wake up!" she yowled at the top of her lungs. 'Kits! Anyone! My kits are coming! Get Nightberry! Please!" she was almost in tears both from the pain and from no one listening. "Please..." she said again, softer now. Her voice was already a bit hoarse, so she dragged herself over to Brightfeather's form, closest to her, even though she knew she shouldn't move.

She nudged her fellow queen with a paw. "Wake up! Get up, Brightfeather!" she cried, being hit with yet another pain. They were getting closer together now. "Come on!" She said, now jabbing her forepaw into her friend's side. Finally, hooking her claws into the other cat's fur, she rolled her over only to recoil with a gasp of horror. Brightfeather's throat was slit, and the kits that had been lying on her other side now leered up at her with glowing eyes and hideously distended fangs, sharper than even a fox's tooth. She looked outside again as the fiery hurt shot through her body, and saw that the moon now dripped with blood. Brightfeather's kits, or the demons that had replaced them, started crawling towards her, baring their frightening maws.

Her fur bushing out to twice its side, she backed away, her own fear-scent drowned out all other fragrances in a dark mask. The demon kit s still kept clambering awkwardly towards her, unsteadily, like their bodies didn't work properly. Fear ran rampant through her mind. She looked over to see that Sparrowstripe's kits lay, bloody and mangled, a few feet away from their mother. Sparrowstripe's head twisted grossly so that it was facing her even though the rest of her body still faced the opposite wall of the den. Her face, too, was demonic like the kits', with flashing eyes that emitted as much light as the moon and over-long, razor-sharp teeth. "Dappleflower!" said the devilish queen, her dangerously armed mouth sounded. The voice wasn't raspy and hellish like she expected, but sleepy and irritated.

* * *

"Dappleflower!" came Sparrowstripe's voice again, and the queen opened her eyes. Why were they closed? She didn't remember closing them. When her eyes did adjust to the little light that came into the den, the other queen's face was normal, if rather annoyed, and she sat in front of Dappleflower, not across the den. "Finally." she grumbled. "You've been making weird noises n your sleep, and your fear-scent woke me up. What in StarClan is up with you?"Unable to respond right away, she just opened and closed her mouth in response and looked around to see that Brightfeather was still breathing, her kits' perfectly normal faces sleeping soundly.

She stammered, still a little in shock, "I th-think I had a n-nightma-" she cut off when a pain, just like those in her dream, shot through her abdomen. She gasped with pain, and put a paw onto her stomach to feel a small ripple._ Please let this not be another nightmare,_ she pleaded silently while telling Sparrowstripe in a shaky voice, "My kits are coming."

* * *

**A/N 2 : Hello again. I know this chapter was a little bit shorter than previously, but the next will be longer. I just felt I had to cut it off here or it would end up being four thousand words long. Finally, her kits are coming, I know. Also, I'm sorry about the whole nightmare thing, I think I need to stop watching Avenged Sevenfold music videos for the night. Also, I don't know if I have ever mentioned the color of Shadehawk's eyes (he;s such a meanie), so I'm leaving it up to you guys. Should his eyes be green? Or amber? (This will play a role later in the story...)**


	8. Chapter 7: Kits

**A/N: Okay... It's been a while, to say the least. I'm sorry! I hope to continually update this story, along with Russetfur Rising and SkyClan's Destiny, and I hope it will never come to be so long between chapters again. I'm sorry, sorry the chapter is short, I just didn't see how I could expand on it...**

* * *

Sparrowstripe's eyes widened. "Oh." she mewed before dashing away for Nightberry. Rippling spasms of pain coursed through Dappleflower's body. A sudden fear flooded over her. What if something went wrong? Flattening her ears, the queen forced the thought from her head. Yet it hung there in the back of her mind like a shadow, whispering._ "What if all the kits are already dead? What if they're malformed and die as soon as they are born? What if you die and the kits are left without a mother- and Lichengaze's kits as well?"_

"Shut up!" she snarled viciously to the dark voice, and Lichenkit and Redkit mewled in fear.

This woke Brightfeather, who asked, "Dappleflower, what's going on?"

"I-I'm kitting." saying those words made the queen really come to grips with what was happening. It was strange- she knew from the moment she found out she was pregnant that she was going to have to give birth, but she felt it would never really happen, that it was too distant to think about. Even that afternoon, she felt as though life would halt and stay this way, just for a little longer. Now that it was really happening, she was terrified.

Brightfeather's eyes widened and she nodded. "Okay. Kits, we should give Dappleflower a little privacy. That means you too, Lichenkit and Redkit." The young kits had not even opened their eyes yet, but they seemed to understand and sat up. Brightfeather picked them up and carried them outside, her own kits following her. Bluekit squeaked, "Good luck!"

At that moment, Sparrowstripe and Nightberry entered the den, the former leading her kits outside only to be called back in. "Sparrowstripe! I may need some help here, Brightfeather can watch your kits. Dappleflower wondered for a moment if Brightfeather could handle all three litters of kits on her own when another spasm tore through her body and though she hardly wanted to admit it, the only cats she cared about right now were her kits and herself.

The tortoiseshell cried out in pain, and Nightberry jumped. "Okay, Dappleflower, look- I've never given birth to kits, so I can't say I know what you're going through, but I need you to do your best to calm down. If you panic, it will only make things worse for both you and your kits. Just relax."

Dappleflower, breathing hard, tried to calm herself down, but she could barely slow her racing heart. "Darkstorm!" she cried as another pain hit her. "I want Darkstorm!"

"Um, sure, fine. Sparrowstripe, help him here. I haven't told him what's going on, so be wary." Nightberry said quickly, her eyes squeezed shut. The black-furred medicine cat took a couple deep breaths. "My mother said her sister bled a lot when she had kits, and she had to stop the bleeding... I need cobwebs." she muttered to herself. Realizing she had sent Sparrowstripe away, Nightberry dashed back to her den to fetch them without a word.

Dappleflower started to panic, wondering if Nightberry had abandoned her, but a more sensible voice overrode the first notion. _"Nightberry wouldn't do that. And what, are all the kits just going to come this instant while she's gone? Unlikely. And Darkstorm will be here soon."_ The voice of reason said, and the though calmed her.

Nightberry returned before the other two, a wad of cobwebs in her jaws. Another wave of pain crashed over the queen, this time much more powerful than those preceding. "I-I think the first kit is coming, Dappleflower!" The dark-furred she-cat meowed, sounding half excited and half nervous.

The pain was intense, and the queen kept her eyes closed tight. She was too focused to notice Sparrowstripe and Darkstorm enter until the tom gasped loudly. "Dappleflower..." he murmured, eyes wide with shock. He limped closer and stared into her eyes. "You can do this."

_"You try it, then tell me that!"_ she almost snapped, but held herself back. The first kit came, and Nightberry and Sparrowstripe made sure it's lungs started pumping through licking it's fur backwards. The queen placed the kit, whose fur was black and gray like his father's, at her belly. The pangs lessened briefly, but all too soon they came back full force.

"The second kit's coming now, Dappleflower." Nightberry said, and the queen rolled her eyes- that was completely obvious to her. Once Nightberry split the birthing sac, Sparrowstripe saw that two kits, each with dark red fur and a darker band of fur on the right foreleg, were inside. "This must be what you were talking about with you and Shiningsun- there's two of them in one sac! What did you call it again, Dappleflower, twims? Twins? Twivs?"

Darkstorm replied, "Twins." as Dappleflower simply cried out in agony as another kit came.

"Your first she-kit!" Sparrowstripe said after getting the tortoiseshell kit to breathe.

Nightberry smiled and meowed, "I'm pretty sure this is the last one, okay?" The final kit came, and Dappleflower knew it was all tortoiseshell queen was exhausted, and longed just to sleep, but more pressing matters chased each other around her head.

"Are they all alright?" She asked quickly, gazing at the five little kits.

The medicine cat nodded happily. "All fine!" she purred.

"Oh, Darkstorm... Look at them." They were all suckling, kneading Dappleflower's stomach with miniscule paws. The two red-furred toms, she noted, had the pelt color of her father.

The three-legged tom purred. "They're beautiful." After a moment, he asked, "Should we name them?"

"Yes." She really did want to sleep, but the naming of her kits shouldn't be something to put off. She looked at the pelts of them- one black and gray, two tortoiseshells, and two dark red. "I think she should be Sunkit." She pointed with her tail to the only she-kit. "Shiningsun told me I should name one of my kits Sundapple. So I'll call her Sunkit, and maybe when she's a warrior..." she trailed off.

Darkstorm dipped his head with a smile. "Sunkit. For him..." he gestured to the tortoiseshell tom, "How about Spottedkit?" Dappleflower smiled, the name reminding her of her mother, Spots.

"Spottedkit." she said, licking the kit's fur."This one resembles you so...Let's call him Coalkit." The dark gray and black tom let out a small mew, and Darkstorm chuckled.

"I like it. I think Crimsonkit suits this kit, for his fur." He nuzzled the dark red furred kit on the right.

Dappleflower blinked in happiness. "That's a lovely name."

"And what should we name him?" her mate asked, looking at Crimsonkit's twin brother.

After a pause, the queen replied, "His name shall be Deathkit." The kit's hind claws dug into the ground just before she said his name, his red tail twitching.

"Deathkit?" Darkstorm asked hesitantly.

Dappleflower looked into his eyes. "Yes. Death seems like a curse, a terrible ordeal for one to go through, especially if the one who died was a loved one. it seems like they've left you and you'll never see or know them again... But that's not what death is. Death is merely the passing of a cat into another world. Shadowstar's given us a name for it- StarClan - but it's always existed. Death... It is not a bad thing. And that is why I am naming my kit Deathkit, because he will be a loyal, good cat, and it will remind us all that Death doesn't have to be bad."

"Very well." Darkstorm meowed, but she could sense the tom disagreed.

She pressed her nose into the kit's fur. "My Deathkit...You'll grow up and prove me right." Dappleflower soon fell asleep, enervated and spent to the highest degree. After a time, Nightberry led Darkstorm back to the medicine den, and Brightfeather let Lichenkit and Redkit go back to the comfort of their foster mother's body.

* * *

"Well look at you." a silky voice woke Dappleflower from her deep slumber.

Shadehawk sat before her, his fiery amber eyes narrowed and tail sliding back and forth across the earth floor. "Any mor kits at your belly and they'd suck you dry. We wouldn't want that."

Dappleflower said dryly, "You can be really creepy sometimes, you know that?"

He laughed darkly. "You've no idea."

"Look, Shadehawk, what do you want?" she asked exasperatedly."You can't just keep coming by the nursery and talking to me. It's weird."

The tom laughed again. "You sound like one of those apprentices. 'Go away, you're weird.' Perhaps there's an eighth kit in that nest after all. Dappleflower, I merely came by to welcome the new kits to the Clan. Don't be so self-involved, thinking I'm here for you." His tail still flicking, he padded out of the den without a glance backward, though the queen's eyes followed him until he was out of sight.

"Dappleflower?" came a small mew from her belly. It was Redkit, squished between Spottedkit and Lichenkit, her eyes -they were green, like her mother's- open.

The tortoiseshell she-cat purred. "Redkit! You opened your eyes!"

"Who was that big tom? Is he our father?" She asked curiously, her words slightly broken.

Dappleflower shuddered. "Yuck, no. That was Shadehawk. Your father is Flamepelt."

"Good. I didn't like him- Shadehawk." The small ginger kit wrinkled her nose.

The queen chuckled. "No one really does, I think." Redkit laughed too, the quiet sounds echoing through the otherwise silent den. The words were heard by a big black tom with dark ginger streaks and amber eyes, who sat outside of the den in the rain, his fur getting soaked and his muscles stiff. Shadehawk's ears flicked droplets of water from them and his whiskers twitched as his expression changed. But whether he smiled or frowned, no cat saw in the rainy darkness.


End file.
